So what do you think of the Wikileaks mess? Overblown or detrimental? What do you think should be done with Bradley Manning, the guy who stole and leaked the cables? I think he should be executed for treason, myself, whether the leaks are harmful or not.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100727/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_afghanistan_wikileaks

Overblown. When I read reports of the content of the files I was left feeling - so what nothing new. I very much doubt if the files will turn public opinion further against the war as hoped.

Well, in a different article, some government officials discussed how all that raw data is actually a treasure trove in other ways. For instance, countries with the ability to analyze it, such as China, can form conclusions on how competent US intelligence is, how accurate their forecasts are (since the cables go back several years), etc.

The info may be overblown, but the leak itself is serious. It should never have happened. If it isn't treason, it is close.

Ann

You can't call it treason until you know who leaked it. If it was a foreign agent, that's not treason, it's espionage.

If the documents are indeed "once-secret" as reported, that's not treason, either. That's the freedom of information act working as it should.

Let's not jump to condemn someone before we have all the facts.

You want treason? Jane Fonda. Scooter Libby. Dick Cheney. Robert Novak. Why weren't any of them shot?

Assange was able to leak it only because Manning provided it. And I don't think any of it was available under the FOI act.

Fonda made some boneheaded appearances, but nothing on the level of leaking classified cables. As far as I know. Can't speak to the rest.

You'd be surprised what's available under FOI.

Fonda emboldened and empowered the enemy to the extreme disadvantage of American POWs. I'd pull the trigger on her myself. And I am a staunch opponent of capital punishment.

The others outed Valerie Plame as a covert ops operative. All her assets were put at risk. Her projects were rendered useless. We can't even know how much ground that cost us.

Libby, under the guidance of Cheney, did it for political gain to punish her husband for reporting what he knew to be true about Saddam's suspected,would-be WMDs rather than what the Bush administration wanted to have reported. Novak was their willing pawn, their conduit to the conservative press. He did the outing in his column.

What happened here is small potatoes compared to that.

I am against executions no matter the crime.

Today it was revealed that the 90,000 pages do indeed "out" some intelligence assets in Afghanistan. And that the jerk who published them read only about 3,000 of those pages before releasing the whole mess.

This is not small potatoes. This is large potatoes.

Two possible ill effects. Our friends in Afghanistan might be hunted down and punished by the Taliban. Our ability to recruit more friends has been compromised. Who can trust us?

This is serious.

So it's even worse than Jane Fonda, is that what you're saying?

I'd be surprised if Assange read 3,000. Maybe 300?

I didn't see where he said anything remotely resembling that.

Al said:

Quote:

Fonda emboldened and empowered the enemy to the extreme disadvantage of American POWs. I'd pull the trigger on her myself. And I am a staunch opponent of capital punishment.

I disagree with him, but he did say it.

Ann